Conventional lawnmowers, including walk-behind and riding mowers, include a mower deck having one or more rotary cutting blades disposed therein. Grass clippings may be discharged out of one side of the mower deck via a discharge chute. If a mulching deck is provided, grass clippings may be re-cut into finer particles and then discharged directly down to the ground. Many conventional mowers may be converted from a side discharge mower to a mulching mower, and vice versa, by changing baffles provided on the deck and the type of blade.
Some conventional mower designs provide for flow control through mulching baffles that are attached to the underside of the mower deck. Mulching baffles maintain the clippings cut by the blade within an enclosed area around the blade so that the clippings are re-cut by the blade. However, installation or removal of such mulching baffles and mulching blades is time-consuming and labor intensive. Further, mulching baffles function to control the movement of air and clippings within the mower deck, as opposed to controlling lateral discharge of clippings from the discharge chute.
Other mower designs provide for a mulch plate or plug which covers the discharge chute. Some conventional mulch plates are bolted onto the discharge chute, thereby shielding the chute to redirect grass clippings back into the deck housing for recirculation. Other designs provide for a mulch plug which is inserted into the discharge chute. While such plugs may be more easily removed than other designs, the chute is completely blocked by the plug given the function of the plate or plug is to prohibit clippings from being discharged from the chute.
Still other mower designs include a moveable guide plate which may be pivoted into a first position for directing clippings out of the discharge chute, and a second position for directing clippings into an associated mower bag or other such receptacle. Such mower designs may be more easily switched from a side discharge mower to a mulching mower compared to other conventional mower designs. However, such designs fail to provide any control of lateral discharge of the clippings. Moreover, many such designs, in addition to the guide plate, also require a plug in the discharge chute when in the mulching mode.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a lawn mower attachment for controlling lateral discharge of clippings expelled from a discharge chute of mower, which may be easily adjusted by the operator. Further, there is a need for a lawn mower attachment that overcomes some or all of the above-noted problems.